Framed by this commitment, and upholding the principles enshrined in the ILO's Declaration, we deploy a host of measures designed to enforce the abolition of forced labour, child labour and all forms of discrimination and to foster the right to freely associate and bargain collectively.

We are aware that our exhaustive traceability controls and the thousands of audits performed are not enough on their own. This is why we collaborate with unions, governments, NGOs and local authorities, among other stakeholders, in order to have a positive impact on the communities in which we do business and to devise corrective action plans when necessary.

Ban on child labour

We do not tolerate child labour. We will never initiate a business relationship with a supplier that employs workers under the age of 16. That commitment extends to markets which permit a lower minimum working age.

These stringent standards require further development which is why we have created a remediation system devoted exclusively to the prevention of child labour and to defending children's right to education, without undermining their families' financial income. The very real chance for positive change would be lost without remediation.

As stipulated in our Code of Conduct for Manufacturers and Suppliers, workers aged between 16 and 18 cannot do overtime or work in hazardous conditions, among other restrictions.

Ban on forced labour

As well as representing a grave violation of a fundamental human and labour right, forced labour is a primary cause of poverty and an impediment to development. At Inditex we take a zero-tolerance approach towards forced labour in any of its manifestations and we implement policies and procedures to ensure that this practice does not take place anywhere in our supply chain.

With this respect, and in line with the requirements of transparency of the UK Act on Modern Slavery, and the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act 2010 (SB-657) we disclose our statement in accordance with section 54 of the UK Act and The California Act, which summarizes our efforts in the context of our commitment to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

We ban any form of discrimination in our supply chain. Our suppliers and manufacturers must not discriminate in any way when hiring, designing remuneration, providing access to training or promotions, terminating employment or upon worker retirement.

Fostering the freedom of association

We firmly believe that it is crucial employees understand their rights and avail themselves of the mechanisms they need to defend those rights via dialogue and collective bargaining. Unionisation is one such mechanism, which is why we establish collaborative relations based on mutual trust with the local and international unions present in the various countries in which we have a supply chain presence.

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